Sunday, September 3

In Transit

Premiere Engagement!

Friday, September 1 – Thursday, September 7

(2015) dir Albert Maysles, Lynn True, David Usui, Nelson Walker, Ben Wu [76 min; DCP]
IN TRANSIT, the final film from legendary documentarian Albert Maysles, journeys into the hearts and minds of everyday passengers aboard Amtrak’s Empire Builder, the busiest long-distance train route in America. Captured in the tradition of Direct Cinema, the film unfolds as a series of interconnected vignettes, ranging from overheard conversations to moments of deep intimacy, in which passengers share their fears, hopes and dreams. In the space between stations, where ‘real life’ is suspended, we are swept into a fleeting community that transcends normal barriers, and where a peculiar atmosphere of contemplation and community develops. To some passengers, the train is flight and salvation, to others it is reckoning and loss. But for all, it is a place for personal reflection and connecting with others they may otherwise never know.

“Maysles and his collaborators capture ‘the rhythm of the tracks’ in their film. It is a machine that generates empathy.” – Sheila O’Malley, RogerEbert.com

“Themes of escape, transformation and ‘finding yourself’ form a common thread through the stories, whether it’s running toward something or away from it, and show that everyone has a tale to tell if you just ask.” – Jason Newman, Rolling Stone

“Magnifying ordinary people by turning their internal processes into objects of fascination, In Transit epitomizes the Maysles legacy.” – Eric Kohn, IndieWire

“Everyone who loves documentary, who cherishes the Maysles brothers’ legacy, should rush to see ‘In Transit’.” – Gerald Peary, The Arts Fuse